Miraculously Frozen
by Ash McWolfe
Summary: Chloe Bourgeois had it all. She had her looks, her parent's unconditional love, riches, and amazing friends. Then, the accident happened. She got powers. Powers she never asked for. Powers she never wanted. Powers that went out of control. Marinette started this mess, and she knew she had to fix it. And her friends won't let her do it alone. A Frozen AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

 **Hey Cookies!**

 **Please don't kill me for making Tikki the cause of all this!**

 **Reviews make me smile!**

 **Ash**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, or Frozen.**

 **Chapter 2**

The first thing Tikki noticed when she peered down at the Earth from her seat in the clouds, was laughter.

A child's laughter, the young goddess realized, after further inspection. There were five children, to be exact. Two boys, and three girls, all of them about the age of… five? Six, perhaps? Tikki wasn't so sure. Human years always confused her.

They weren't friends. That was for sure. They seemed to be trying to attack one another, with ammo made of what the mortals called _snow_.

She watched as one of the little girls mercilessly pelt the boy next to her with hand-formed bullets, and tutted.

Humans were not only destructive, but confusing. Why were they emitting little shrieks of joy, while being attacked? Why weren't any of the adults around them stopping them?

One thing was clear. Something needed to be done. If nobody else would, then it was up to her.

Scooping up a bit of cloud, Tikki carefully fashioned it into the shape of a ball, and breathed into it. Almost at once, the ball turned a brilliant blue, before fading into a white powdery substance.

Okay, _maybe_ it was a little (a lot) bigger than the ammunition the humans were using, but they probably wouldn't notice, anyway.

She nodded at it, mentally patting herself on the back, before dropping the ball onto the Earth, straight into a pile of other snow spheres.

Then, the young spirit stood up, and cheerfully skipped away to inform The Great Spirit Fu, of her "accomplishment", completely clueless about the havoc she had just caused.

"Chloe!"

The golden-haired girl, at the call of her name, whirled around, only to be whacked in the face by a lump of snow. _Wet, cold,_ snow. She gritted her teeth. Chloe hated the stuff. It was only because of her friends' love for playing in snow that she managed to tolerate it.

Especially Marinette.

Chloe glared at her best friend, who was rolling around in the snow laughing, before hollering over her shoulder, " Adrien! We need more ammo!"

At the mention of his name, Adrien's head snapped up. He grinned a toothy smile (two of his teeth had fallen out, Chloe noted), and pushed a pile of fresh snowballs in her direction.

Chloe nodded approvingly, before turning her attention to the wall of snow her enemies hid behind.

After analyzing the scene, the politician's daughter declared, "They're too far. We'll need to attack them directly."

Adrien, as usual, agreed. "You could ride Plagg to their fort, and attack, while I protect our fort."

"But where will I keep the snowballs? I'll be holding Plagg's reins, and I won't be able to hold the snowballs."

Chloe was worried.

The brutal force of the other team's snowballs was starting to take effect on her _their_ fort, which was slowly starting to crumble.

"It's okay," Adrien assured her. "You could hold the reins with one hand, and you can keep about six snowballs in the other hand."

Chloe didn't have time to decipher what he was saying, as he was already pushing her towards a snoozing Plagg.

The reindeer yawned when the children started pulling him up, but obliged nonetheless, and stood up, allowing Chloe to clamber onto his back.

As soon as Adrien had given her the promised snowballs, Chloe dug her heels into Plagg's sides, and sped off towards the other fort.

A pair of bluebell eyes saw the one-child-armada approaching, and yelled, "Alya! Nino! She's coming! Get Buster ready!"

Chloe heard Marinette, and before she could stop Plagg, 'Buster' (who happened to be the biggest snowball in Paris) was launched her way.

It collided with her face first, throwing her off of her steed, and onto the suddenly tough ground.

Right away, she knew this wasn't any ordinary snowball. It melted immediately, seeping into her ears and nose.

She couldn't hear anything. She couldn't feel the tiny hands that shook her, or hear the frightened voices of her friends.

She couldn't feel her green eyes turn blue.

She could only feel the world around her turn black.

 **A/N:**

 **Please don't kill me for making Tikki the cause of all this! If I should continue, go ahead and tell me in the reviews.**

 **Also, I made this story about Chloe because I feel sorry for her, and I feel like she needs more attention from us authors (don't tell her I said that).**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

 **Hey Cookies!**

 **Aaaand we're on to another chapter! This one is slightly sad, but it was important for the story's main plot. And yes, it is shorter than the last chapter. Should I make the next update longer or shorter? Be sure to get back at me with that.**

 **Remember, reviews make me smile! (I'll be replying to your reviews!)**

 **Ash**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, or Frozen.**

 **Chapter 2**

White. That's the first thing Chloe saw when she opened her eyes. A white light.

She blinked once, letting her eyes adjust to her surroundings.

She was on a bed. It wasn't her bed. Her bed was cozy, warm, yellow, and covered with teddies, not to mention Mr. Cuddly. Her bed made her feel safe.

This bed was cold, uncomfortable, and white. Very much like the room she was in. There weren't even any windows! Chloe didn't like it one little bit.

She wanted to go to her own room. She wanted Mr. Cuddly. She wanted a hug. _She wanted her father_.

"Daddy?" she called, weakly. Nobody responded. "Daddy?" Chloe tried again, louder this time.

The child heard muffled voices outside the door, before Andre Bourgeois dashed into the room. Her father was instantly by her side, peppering Chloe with hugs, kisses, and questions.

"Chloe, my darling! Are you alright? Does anything hurt? Do you remember anything from yesterday?"

Chloe bit her lip, and shook her head no. Her memory was fuzzy, and she couldn't remember anything from the previous day. Tears brimmed in the seven year old's eyes. Why was she here? Where was her mother? Where were her friends?

Then it clicked. The snowball fight. Marinette chucking that ginormous snowball at her. The pain she felt after the impact.

That's when she lost it. The poor child was restless enough, and seeing her father's concerned face didn't help.

When he saw his daughter burst into tears, Andre felt even more distraught. Immediately scooping his daughter into his arms, the politician tried consoling her, only for her to cry louder.

Suddenly, the jacket he was wearing seemed heavier. And colder. So much colder. He looked at his jacket. And then he looked again.

Andre screamed, and dropped his daughter. Chloe landed with a _thump_ on the floor. She was astonished. Her father always handled her with the greatest care imaginable. But when Chloe looked up at him, she understood why he dropped her.

The jacket of the suit he was wearing had turned to _ice_. Stone cold, crystal clear _ice_. As Andre fumbled to remove the now frozen article of clothing, Chloe's mind fumbled for an explanation.

How did that happen? Why did it happen? Did she do it?

From fear, she clutched the iron bedpost behind her. Only for that to turn to ice as well. Recoiling at once, Chloe looked at her father, her fearful eyes asking – no, begging, for an explanation.

But her father's eyes only mirrored her shock; her fear.

Fear. That's all she could feel. She wanted her father to hug her. She wanted her mother to kiss her forehead, and tell her everything was alright. She wanted her friends to hold her hands, and ask her if she wanted to build a fort. But she knew better than that. She knew that things wouldn't be the same for a long, long time.

Chloe hugged her knees, and buried her face into her arms, seeking shelter from the ice that surrounded her. The cold that spread around the room, enveloping it in ice.

 **A/N:**

 **Okay, I know that the story is all angst-ish and sad-ish right now, but I promise that the next chapter will be better, since the next chapter will have more excerpts from Frozen.**

 **Reviews make me smile!**

 **-Ash**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

 **Hey Cookies!**

 **Welcome to chapter 3!**

 **Answers to reviews:**

 **Junior VB:** _ **Hiya! Well, in the original Frozen movie, Elsa had her powers since birth. I thought it would be cool to give Chloe her powers later on in life… not just at birth, you know? A little twist never hurt anyone! And as per the chapters being too short… I'm working on it. On MS Word, there seems to be an awful lot, but when you post it on , it automatically shortens! I'm really sorry about that! I'll try to make them longer!**_

 **Elizabeththelast:** _ **Thanks! I'll try to update a bit sooner, but my exams are here, and it's really hard to keep updating.**_

 **And now, on to the next chapter!**

 **Chapter 3**

Chloe Bourgeois sat cross-legged on a window seat in her room, facing the window. Winter was still here, so there was a lot of fog in the window, blocking her vision.

Chloe rubbed at the window with her arm, trying to make some sense into her view.

She stared wistfully at the park she finally faced, and sadly watched the other children play.

Her father had forbid her from leaving her room, ever since that old man in the Hawaiian shirt (Fu was his name, she recalled), had informed them on what to do, and what necessary measures to take to ensure her safety; not to mention the safety of Paris.

But she missed her friends. She missed bubby Alya, and goofy Nino. She missed kind-hearted Adrien, and even lazy Plagg. Most of all, she missed Marinette. Sweet, funny Marinette.

The young blonde absent-mindedly traced invisible lines on the window with her fingernails. Her mother wasn't back from her business trip yet, and probably wouldn't be back for a while now, as her father had informed her.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and made Chloe jump.

The glass from the window instantly froze over. Cringing, Chloe tentatively called, "Who's there?"

It was probably her father, but just in case, she didn't open the door.

A soft voice called, "Chloe? Are you in there?"

Chloe could have laughed for joy. It was Marinette! Leaping off of the window-seat, Chloe made her way towards the door, when she suddenly remembered her condition, and stopped.

But it was too late. Marinette had heard footsteps from inside the room, and was twisting the doorknob, trying to open the door.

Chloe immediately flung her back onto the door, ensuring it slammed shut.

"No one's home!" she cried, desperately.

The pig-tailed blackette erupted into a fit of giggles. "Oh Chloe, you're so silly!" she could hear Marinette say from behind the door.

Marinette tried opening the door again. " _Do you wanna build a snowman?"_ she sang. " _C'mon let's go and play!"_

Chloe bit her bottom lip. She so badly wanted to open the door, but she knew she couldn't. Doing so would only endanger Marinette.

Marinette crouched onto her knees, trying to catch a glimpse of her friend. " _I never see you anymore. Come out the door. It's like you've gone away!"_

The chubby , raven-haired girl now sat cross-legged on the floor, and was fingering two dolls she had brought along with her.

" _We used to be best buddies,"_ she added sadly, _"But now, we're not. I wish you would tell me why!"_

Chloe clenched her jaw. Look who was talking. If Marinette hadn't thrown that... that _thing_ at her, she would never have been in this mess. She resisted the urge to call security on her "best buddy".

But Marinette, oblivious to the seething girl opposite to the door in front of her, continued singing.

" _Do you wanna build a snowman?"_ And then, pressing her lips to the keyhole, _"It doesn't have to be a snowman!"_

Chloe, bursting with rage, snapped, "No! Go away, Marinette!"

Marinette jumped. She wasn't used to being spoken with in that tone. Especially by Chloe.

"Okay," she said, taking a step back. "Bye."

A satisfied Chloe flopped onto her bed, not caring that she had broken her best friend's heart.

A couple of years later, an eleven-year-old Chloe sat cross-legged on her bed, doodling in a notepad. She felt lonely, but she wasn't about to admit it.

Marinette had kept coming back, trying to persuade her friend to come out, but in vain. Soon, she gave up, and Chloe was starting to miss having someone to talk to, even if all she was saying was, "Go away."

Her father was running for Mayor, and since the elections were coming, he wasn't going to be home anytime soon.

Chloe sighed, and was about to put away her pencil, when suddenly, a knock came at the door. She looked up, curious.

"Who is it?" She called, adjusting her long gloves.

Her father had recently given them to her, telling her that the gloves would help. If she couldn't see her hands, she couldn't feel them, and therefore, she would not let it show.

The person at the door was persistent. They kept knocking.

"Who is it?!" Chloe yelled, annoyed.

"It's Alya," the guest said. "And Nino," another voice chimed in.

Chloe was surprised. Alya and Nino hadn't come to see her once. Why was she coming now?

"Wh- What do you want?" She asked, nervously. Nobody was home, and knowing Alya, she'd probably just break open the door.

"It's not about me. We're talkin' about _you_ here!" replied the girl with the gorgeous, cocoa skin. She sounded like she was holding something. Something heavy.

Then, unexpectedly, Alya started singing. _"Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

Chloe slumped onto her bed. Not again.

Another clang sounded. _"Or ride our bikes around the halls?"_

Chloe immediately sat up. Surely, Alya wouldn't dare-

CRASH!

The blonde cringed. Too late.

"Uh… aren't you gonna come out to see if she's okay?" Nino's voice had a hesitant edge to it.

When he received no reply, Nino, cleared his throat, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Look, Chloe," he started, "We miss you. Me, Alya, Marinette, Adrien… and even Plagg doesn't seem like his usual, grumpy self!"

He waited for a response. Nothing.

" _I think some company is overdue, I've even started talking to the pictures on the walls!"_ Nino joked.

The corner of Chloe's mouth twitched upwards. As Nino continued the song, Chloe couldn't help but feel grateful that someone still cared. Sure, her father loved her, but there's a different sort of love you receive from your friends.

An amazing kind of love, that makes you feel secure, and positive.

And although Chloe wasn't sure how long it would be until she joined in on that song, she was thankful that there was still someone singing it to her.

It was Adrien who finished the song.

Of course it was. He was always there for Chloe when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

The thing about Chloe was, she didn't cry very often. When she did, it was about something big.

Your mother calling you a monster and abandoning you is a very big reason.

Chloe was now fifteen, and in honor of her daughter's fifteenth birthday, Mrs. Bourgeois came back from Tibet to see her.

Chloe wished she hadn't.

Even now, a week later, as Chloe was huddled into a ball next to the foot of the door, she remembered everything as if it was only yesterday.

She still remembered her parent's voices arguing outside her door.

" _She's a monster, Andre!" "How could you let this happen to her?!"_

Her father had anxiously tried to reassure his wife, _"Dearest, it was an accident! We still aren't sure how it happened, it was just a harmless-"_

" _HARMLESS? What part of that little_ monster _is harmless?"_

" _She's not a monster! She's perfectly safe to be around! We just need to be careful. Fu said she'd learn to control it, and-"_

The woman silenced Andre once more with a raise of her hand.

" _Has she Andre? Has the little beast learned to control it? We've both seen what the m-"_

This time, Andre was the one to interrupt his wife.

" _STOP CALLING HER A MONSTER! She's your daughter!"_

But Mrs. Bourgeois' eyes turned cold. "No. No she's not."

And then she left.

Ever since then, Chloe felt broken on the inside. Nobody loved her. Nobody cared.

She wouldn't eat or drink, and her already-stressed-out father became more and more worried every day.

Then, Adrien came.

His knock was so quiet, that if she weren't next to the door, she wouldn't have heard it.

"Chloe?"

The blonde's head snapped up. That voice. Could it be…?

"It's Adrien."

Chloe's heart felt as if it stopped. Adrien? She remembered her father telling her that Adrien's mother went missing a month ago.

Why was he here?

"Chloe?" his rather hoarse voice came again. He sounded as if he'd been crying.

Chloe knew that if she spoke, she'd burst into tears, so she stayed silent.

" _Please, I know you're in there,"_ he begged, _"People are asking where you've been._

 _They say have courage, and I'm trying to. I'm right out here for you, just let me in."_

Adrien leaned his back against the door, and slid down until he was sitting down on the floor.

" _We only have each other."_ He sang softly, as if he was singing to himself. _"It's just you and me. What are we gonna do?"_

He swallowed the lump rising in his throat. _"Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

Fresh tears rolled down his cheek, and he buried his face in his arms as he cried softly.

He had no idea that on the other side of the door, Chloe was doing the exact same thing.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

 **Hey cookies!**

 **I have to admit it, I was considering dropping this story, but thanks to all the support I got, I decided against it! Sorry for the short chapter, but I really needed to get something up!**

 **You guys are awesome! Happy new year!**

 **Now, on to the next chapter!**

The strange things about doors, is that they're non-living, yet they can do so much to a person. They can separate a person from the world and make them feel isolated, or they can protect one from the horrors of the outside world.

Chloe wasn't sure what exactly the sight of her door did to her.

For years, her hands had ached to turn the icy gold doorknob, and yank open the door that separated her from everything. But a part of her knew that, the immobile plank of wood in front of her, actually just kept her safe from the world. And kept the world safe from her.

Currently, Chloe was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her room, delicately applying blue nail polish to her fingernails. She had long since decided that, even though there was nobody (except her father, and her handmaid Sabrina) to boast to about her looks, she would still glam herself up as much as possible.

Cursed or not, she _was_ the Mayor's daughter, meaning she constantly had to look better than those _peasants_ who lived under her. Not that they held any competition to her natural flawlessness.

And besides, whenever her home-schooling sessions ended, and she had time for herself, she'd often scroll through the web, trying to catch up with the happenings of the world.

These days, she'd been keeping track of a particular model. Chloe would unashamedly gush over Adrien for hours, and even dream about him, sometimes.

Even now, the Mayor's proud daughter's focus kept varying from her perfect fingernails, to Adrien.

Sighing dreamily, she rested her chin on her palm, only to smear wet nail polish on her cheek. Cursing, she hurriedly started wiping it off.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Chloe knew that knock. It was loud and clear; the knock of a true politician.

"Come in, Daddy," she called, still focused on removing the smudge.

The door swung open, revealing the salt-and-pepper haired Mayor, Andre Bourgeois. His daughter stared up at him, uninterested. "Well? What is it? I'm in the middle of something important here, and I'd really like to-"

Chloe was stopped short by her father's words. "I've made my decision."

The young blonde's heart rate quickened. "What decision?"

Andre breathed out heavily, and closed his eyes.

"As you know, today is Monday. Your sixteenth birthday is on Thurand we are going to publicly celebrate it in the hotel" he stated.

Chloe felt a chill going up her body. She wasn't sure how to react. This is what she'd wanted for eight years, right? Then how come she didn't feel like jumping with joy?

"What?" she said, her voice hoarse. The blonde cleared her throat, licked her suddenly dry lips, and tried again.

"Why now?"

Andre glanced at his feet. "We can't keep you in here forever," He replied.

Chloe's eyes narrowed. "Who's 'we'?"

The politician visibly swallowed.

"My party members."

Chloe was confused. "What do they have to do with anything?" she asked, voicing her thoughts.

The worry lines around her father's face deepened. "Er… Well you see," He started sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Look, everyone in Paris knows you exist, and they know you've shut yourself out from the world. The civilians…" he trailed off.

"The civilians think it's you who forced me to disappear, and in order to win the next election, you have to prove you're not a control freak who'll do the same with Paris," Chloe finished, internally sighing.

Andre beamed. "Exactly!" he said, "I'm glad you understand!"

If anything, Chloe felt as if she was more of a trophy than a daughter. But there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"And then what?" the girl's voice was just above a whisper.

Andre shrugged in a very non-mayor sort of way.

"And then you can start going to a public democratic education system! I've made sure to pick the school all your old friends go to! Even Sabrina studies there!"

Chloe's right eye twitched.

How dare he. How _dare_ he!

He knew how much she'd been going through these past few years, and he still had the nerve to make her life even more miserable than it already was. And to gain votes too!

If her phone hadn't buzzed right at that moment, Andre Bourgeois would have been frozen solid.

That's how angry Chloe was.

But, glancing over to where her phone lay on the ground next to her, the girls' expression softened.

A click-bait headline read: _"Adrien Agreste, the son of Gabriel Agreste, donated all his clothes to a 'homeless' child…What happened next was extraordinary!..."_

The Mayor followed his daughter's line of sight, and smiled knowingly.

"Adrien goes to that school too, you know?" he spoke softly, knowingly treading dangerous waters, "And I'll be sure to make him the special guest and your main escort on Thursday."

Chloe wasn't looking at her father, but she could practically hear him smirking.

And when she looked into his eyes, icy blue orbs clashed against pale blue ones. But she was done fighting. This battle, she knew she had already lost.

 **A/N:**

 **One of my new years resolutions: Update every week. No matter what.**

 **What about you guys? In the reviews, comment one of your new year's resolutions, and the most promising one will get a virtual medal! XD**

 **Ash :-D**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

 **Hey cookies!**

 **A riddle: You will see me in the water, but I'll never get wet. What am I?**

 **Let's see who'll answer first! ;-P**

 **And now, on to the next chapter!**

The next three days seemed to pass in a blur for Chloe.

Designers and tailors came and went, and each one as annoyingly chirpy as the last. They each promised her the dress of her dreams, and the Mayor's daughter didn't doubt it. But she was just too preoccupied in her thoughts to care.

All she could think worry about was her friends' reactions to meeting her again, after _six whole years_.

Alya would be cold (excuse the pun), no doubt about it. Realizing this, Chloe had looked up some of the aspiring journalist's many blogs, desperately trying to find a topic they both shared interest in.

Nino… well, she wasn't sure what Nino would be like. He was obsessed with baseball when they were kids, so maybe he still was?

"This is ridiculous." Chloe muttered, scrolling through Foogle Search **(He he… Foogle… I'm a genius XD),** for any sign of the American sport.

Plagg would forgive her absence easily enough. She distinctly remembered the reindeer's absurd love for foul-smelling cheese, so she had ordered the best-of-the-best matured Camembert just for him.

And as for Adrien… Chloe swooned just thinking about him. Adrien would understand. She knew he would. After all, he was the very definition of the word perfect. Why wouldn't he?

And Marinette… ugh. Chloe gritted her teeth at the thought of her 'sworn enemy'. She hoped the raven haired girl wouldn't bother showing up.

Chloe didn't realize she was actually foaming at the mouth until someone snapped their fingers in front of her face. The plump seamstress who had awakened Chloe from her anger-filled trance was chiding her, and saying that frowning too much would cause early-wrinkles, which wouldn't make good impressions on her guests at the party tomorrow.

Amused rather than angered, by the fact that the seamstress was chiding _her_ of all people, Chloe looked out of the window.

Beyond the fogged-up glass, Chloe could still clearly see the rapidly falling snow. Each snowflake was thick, menacing, and definitely not the shape you see in cartoons. It was almost as if it was reflecting Chloe's current state of mind.

The proud blonde shook her head, trying to clear any hateful thoughts out of her head. She looked into the full-length she faced, attempting to distract herself by admiring her dress.

She had to admit it, the gown _was_ gorgeous.

The dress had a sweetheart neckline, delicately framing her small cleavage. The bodice was a rich emerald green, and delicately clung to her torso. The bottom of skirt billowed out, and obviously had many layers of fabric, explaining the flower-like shape. The top of the skirt was the same color as the bodice, and it slowly faded into a rich violet hue. (Chloe wished it were a more simple, and warm color, though. Maybe yellow?)

The generous amount of glitter on the dress made light reflect off of it in almost every direction.

There was no doubt about it. Chloe would be the loveliest girl at the celebration.

But despite the fact that the dress was flawless, the chubby seamstress hovered around the blonde beauty, nervously fixing any invisible imperfections she could see through her half-moon glasses.

Her flustered expression made Chloe giggle slightly. Startled, the poor seamstress glanced up at Chloe, not sure what to expect. But, seeing the girl's smile, her shoulders sagged in relief.

"Sorry about that, miss," The woman spoke with a heavy German accent, "I'm just trying to make everything absolutely perfect for tonight, so I can't help getting nervous."

Chloe smiled at her reassuringly. "It will be."

Then, something clicked in her mind.

Wait a second… TONIGHT?

Chloe frantically tore away from the protesting seamstress, and grabbed her phone, anxiously checking the date. It was Thursday.

How was this possible? Chloe could've sworn she had one more day. She must have been too preoccupied in preparing what and what not to say to her friends to notice how many days were passing!

She wasn't ready for this! She hadn't practiced controlling her powers! She had no idea what to do, or how to do it. What if she froze everyone in place? What would happen to her?

The poor girl was near hysterics. Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. Her fingernails dug into her scalp, as she sank to her knees. Chloe didn't care that her dress was probably freezing over, nor that the designer was watching her every move.

She didn't realize she had closed her eyes until she opened them, startled at a sudden warmth.

The tailor was _hugging_ her. Chloe couldn't believe it. Who did she think she was?! A lowly seamstress, embracing the _mayor's daughter!_ The nerve!

Chloe was just about to retort as such, when the woman, still holding Chloe, started singing softly in German, and gently rocking left to right.

If this had happened any other day, the blonde would have screeched in disgust, and shoved the old woman off of her.

But on that particular day, Chloe was too tired to argue. She practically melted into the woman and, shoulders sagging in comfort, let her eyes close once more.

The woman didn't ask why Chloe was crying, nor did she chide her again for screwing up her face, causing wrinkles.

She just continued humming German nursery rhymes and, still gently rocking to and fro, started tracing circles on the small of Chloe's back.

And for a long time, that's how they remained; embracing one another on the floor of Chloe's bedroom, not noticing that the steady snowfall outside had long since stopped.

Thirty minutes. That's how much time remained until Chloe's guests arrived.

Her lips were dry, and aching to be run over by her tongue, but refrained from doing so, in the fear that her lipstick would smudge.

The nervous girl stood in front of a window, looking down on the crowds starting to gather outside the hotel's gates.

Chloe wished the kind old German lady was there, but she was long gone. The blonde could still feel her shoulders tingling from the reassuring squeeze that '"Vermisse" Emilia' (That's what she had called herself while telling Chloe she was available if she needed anyone to talk to) had given her before leaving.

It wasn't a diamond necklace, or a gold bracelet. It was better.

Chloe focused her attention on her reflection, instead of the natural view the window displayed, and tried to criticize her appearance. She couldn't.

Every tiny blemish she may have had was invisible; totally undetectable under her concealer. Her makeup artist had put glittery purple eye shadow on her lids, and carefully outlined her lashes with dark mascara. Her cheeks had the softest of pink blush, and her hair had been but up in a rather heavy braided bun at the back of her head, whose pins were digging into Chloe's head in such a painful way that she considered wrenching her hair undone.

She felt stiff; as if she couldn't move.

Chloe took a deep breath, and tried calming down her nerves by singing to herself.

" _Don't let them in. Don't let them see,"_ she sang, softly.

She squeezed her eyes shut. _"Be the good girl you always have to be."_

Opening her eyes again, Chloe looked down at her hands- at the gloves that concealed them.

" _Conceal. Don't feel. Put on a show…"_ she chanted, repeating her father's words as she started walking down the staircase to the ballroom.

Suddenly, her steady steps paused as a certain thought flickered into her mind.

" _Make one wrong move, and everyone will know,"_

Then, the image of the kind Vermisse Emilia flashed into Chloe's mind.

What if everyone was as kind as she was? Surely they'd understand it wasn't her fault.

Her steps quickened as she continued her song.

" _But it's only for today; It's agony to wait."_

Stopping at the last large platform of the staircase, at the bottom of which Sabrina was waiting patiently for her friend/boss's orders, Chloe announced, _"Tell the guards to open up,_ (a dramatic pause) _the gates!"_

The guards did as told, and as soon as the guests started filing in, Chloe's trauma was replaced by excitement.

" _I know it all ends tomorrow, so it has to be today! 'Cause in the first time in forever,"_ Chloe reached the last step as gracefully yet as quickly as she could, smiling all the way.

" _Nothing's in my way!"_

 __ _ **A/N:**_

 _ **Yup. I skipped a couple of lyrics. Bear with me XD**_

 _ **-Ash**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N:**_

 _ **Hey cookies!**_

 _ **I am soooooo sorry for not updating sooner! I've just been so busy with schoolwork, and…. You get the point!**_

 _ **After writing this chapter, I realized how much I love reindeers. (Don't get too happy, PinkSakura271!) XD**_

 _ **P.S: A shout out to ElizabethTheLast for answering the riddle correctly!**_

 _ **And now, on with the chapter!**_

Over the passage of years, Chloe had forgotten what it was like for her cheeks to hurt from having to smile so much, and have her hands ache from all the firm handshakes they received.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, the blonde inwardly groaned, but nevertheless turned away from Mme. Bustier all the same.

Standing behind her was a girl, seemingly her age, rich olive skin, and a large, toothy grin. Her hair was an auburn hue, and Chloe could see white streaks peeking out of her elegant side bun.

"Chloe!" the girl exclaimed, throwing her arms around the bewildered blonde. Chloe immediately stiffened, unused to sudden embraces. When her arms finally loosened, Chloe turned around to apologize to Mme. Bustier, only to see that she was already walking away.

Guilt prodded her heart as she turned back to the stranger, whose green eyes were wide with excitement.

Unconsciously, Chloe noted that they weren't as pure, or emerald-like as Adrien's were.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the girl's Italian-lilted voice.

"Remember me? It's Lila! We were besties back in pre-school!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

Chloe stared at her "Bestie" with a blank expression. She had no idea who Lila was.

"Er… Lila. Yeah, sure… Of course I remember you!" she lied between her teeth.

Lila squealed with joy, and embraced Chloe once more.

"Anyway," she began, sliding her hands onto the birthday girl's shoulders, "I know how much you missed me, but let's talk about _you_. It is _your_ day, after all!"

Chloe chuckled nervously, and fought the urge to rub the back of her neck. "There's really nothing to talk about," she replied.

Lila rolled her eyes. "Oh _sure_ there is." She retorted.

"Like for example…"

Chloe didn't like the mischievous look in the Italian girl's eyes.

Lila turned her back to Chloe, and picked at her cuticles, hiding her smirk.

Chloe dreaded the next words that would surely come out of Lila's mouth.

"Why you shut yourself out from all of Paris."

Lila faced Chloe again, replacing her devious smirk for an innocent smile.

The blonde in question was suddenly interested in her violet stilettos.

"It's not a big reason. I just have a thing against dirt." She lied again, clutching her wrist.

"Oh, cut the crap!" Lila snapped, taking Chloe by surprise.

The Italian teenager shoved her finger into Chloe's nose. "We all know something happened that day; the day when you went invisible," she sneered.

Then, a thought occurred to Lila, and her smirk reappeared.

"It was your father who locked you up, wasn't it?" She accused, one hand on her hip.

Chloe's gobsmacked expression encouraged her to continue.

"I'm guessing he knew you'd turn out to be the control freak you probably are, and _that's_ why he locked you up, isn't it? So that nobody would know what a _brat_ his daughter ended up to be."

Lila paused for a second, her expression looking theatrically thoughtful, with her finger on her lip, and her eyes distant.

By this point, Chloe had clenched her hands into fists, and angry tears pooled in the corner of her eyes.

 _Conceal, don't feel._ She reminded herself.

Lila glanced at the blonde, and sneered. She moved so close to Chloe, that the girl could feel Lila's breath on her ear.

"I bet that's why your mother left. She saw what you'd become; what your father's luxuries and extravagances had done to you- to your head. I bet she took _one look_ at the bratty _monster_ her daughter had become while she was away, and left."

And with those words, Lila pulled away, smiling a sickly sweet smile, and walked away from Chloe in silence.

Had the circumstances been different, Chloe would have slapped Lila, reminding her that, bratty or not, she _was_ the mayors daughter, and she could have Lila _hung_ for her words. Chloe was actually about to say this, but when Lila said the word, "monster", Chloe's mind had gone blank.

Right now, tears made her vision so blurry that she couldn't see anything, and, cupping her hand to her mouth to prevent the sobs rushing out, ran out of the ballroom

When she was sure she was out of range from prying ears, she broke down. She didn't sob as much as she thought she would, and soon, the tears slowed down.

Taking deep breaths in order to calm herself, Chloe put a gloved hand to her head. _Stop thinking you're a monster,_ she chided herself. _You are what you think, and I'm not as bad as they say._

Suddenly, a loud and deep noise interrupted her thoughts. Chloe's head snapped towards the direction of the noise.

It seemed to be coming from the stables. Chloe's heart leaped. Could it be Plagg?

After slowly and cautiously inching towards the open stables, and looking inside a window, Chloe's heart fluttered with joy. Near the window she looked through, in a stall pre-equipped with wheels of camembert, was a particular reindeer, munching away on his beloved cheese.

"Plagg!" Chloe cried joyously, forgetting her sadness.

Startled, the reindeer looked up, and seeing Chloe, continued chewing.

Finding the nearest door in, Chloe barged inside the stables, and walked up to Plagg's stall, holding up her dress just in case no hay stuck to it.

"Look how big you've grown!" The blonde cooed, holding up her dress with one hand, and holding out the other one for Plagg to sniff.

Eyeing her hand suspiciously, the almost-black reindeergave it a tentative lick, and not seeing Chloe's happy expression change, deemed her as unworthy of his attention, and returned his focus to the roll of camembert he was working on.

Chloe giggled softly. "Same old Plagg." She mumbled, affectionately.

"It's surprising how less some personalities can change over long periods of time." A cheerful voice suddenly called out.

Alarmed, Chloe turned around, and saw a grinning young man leaning against a wooden pillar, whose emerald eyes, golden locks, and ever-so-slightly tanned skin made him look roguishly handsome.

"Adrien?" Chloe said, eyes widening.

"Hey Chlo." Adrien whispered, quietly, yet not so quietly that Chloe couldn't hear him.

The blonde couldn't believe it. Here he was, standing in the same room as her, and not blankly staring at her from the cover of a magazine.

Adrien cleared his throat, pointedly reminding her that she was staring, and held out his arms. "Now are you gonna stand there, or do I get a hug?" he joked.

Chloe, still dazed by the sudden appearance of her old friend, stumbled into his welcoming arms. This wasn't like the hug with Lila, where she stiffly stood, waiting for it to be over. This was, as cheesy as it sounded, a _proper_ hug.

Completely forgetting about Lila, Chloe melted into her friend's warm embrace, breathing in the smell of mint, freshly cut grass, and… was that camembert?!

Chloe couldn't help but grin as she nuzzled into Adrien's chest, feeling his chin on the top of her head as he swayed back and forth.

After standing in Adrien's arms for a good one and a half minutes, Chloe reluctantly pushed herself away from him.

"What are you doing here?"

Adrien raised a brow. "I got an invitation."

Chloe shook her head, smiling softly. "That's not what I meant. I mean, what are you doing _in here_?" she said, waving her hands in the air."

"Oh… right." Adrien said, smiling shyly, and scratching the back neck before continuing, "I was looking for you ever since I entered the ballroom, and when I finally found you, you were talking to someone I couldn't see, and you looked really upset…" he trailed off.

"And so you followed me, and ended up here." Chloe finished, trying not to squeal with joy, as Adrien's ears went red and he nodded.

She couldn't believe it. THE Adrien Agreste had followed her, _just_ to see if she was alright!

She thought her heart had stopped beating when Adrien offered her his arm.

"Ready to head back to the party?" he asked, tilting his head in the direction of the door.

Chloe hesitated for a moment, before taking the model's arm. If Adrien was there with her, she could bear the insults, Chloe decided.

By the time they got back to the ballroom, the party had escalated into full swing. Guests were now joyfully throwing themselves around the dance floor, although the loud laughter and deafening chatter in the large room, seemed to drown out the music completely.

A sudden shout made Chloe jump. The two most enthusiastic dancers had stopped dancing, and were now bolting in her direction.

Before Chloe could jump behind Adrien, or even grab his arm, she was tackled by one of them.

"Oh my _gosh_ , girl! I'm so happy to see you!" the guest exclaimed, squeezing Chloe tightly.

The girl's familiar loud, and bubbly personality made Chloe's eyes go wide. Pulling away from her attacker to confirm her suspicions, Chloe let out a startled gasp.

"Alya?!"

Alya grinned, and nodded. "And Nino!" Chirped the man next to Alya.

Chloe grinned, and hugged him as well.

Talking with her friends was surprisingly easy. Chloe was surprised to find out that Nino had abandoned his famous love for baseball, and was now leaning towards music.

Adrien had decided that he wanted to pursue physics, but continue modeling for his dad.

Alya, to Chloe's pretend surprise, was an aspiring journalist, and had given up her childish dream of becoming a detective. She told Chloe about a couple of blogs she had set up, and the blonde promised to look at them soon.

As she talked, she took a few seconds to analyze her friends.

Alya's hair was down, so Chloe could see it had grown wavy, which was strange, since it was dead-straight the last time Chloe saw her. Her face (like Nino's and Adrien's) had matured, and her almost-clear cocoa skin made her hazel-eyes pop. A knee-length red dress hugged her body, showing off her curves.

Nino, on the other hand, hadn't changed much. His face _had_ matured and all, but he was a lot easier to recognize than Alya, even if he wasn't wearing his usual baseball cap.

"I wonder how Marinette's doing," Nino wondered, aloud. Chloe tensed at the name. She had entirely forgotten about Marinette up until that point.

Mistaking Chloe's uncomfortable look for a curious one, Alya quickly spoke up.

"She's been studying fashion in London for over a year now." The journalist's brows furrowed. "Though she said that she'd try her best to come."

Chloe's shoulders sagged in relief. She didn't need Marinette to spoil her mood any further.

Just then, the song abruptly changed. Everyone on the dance floor froze, before recognizing the tune of a slow waltz, and choosing their partners.

Adrien tapped Chloe on the shoulder. "Wanna dance?" He asked, shyly.

Chloe nodded once, before taking his hand, and stepping into position, Alya and Nino right behind her.

As she swayed to the music, Chloe couldn't help but feel content. Here she was, dancing a slow waltz with her childhood crush, with her friends right behind her.

Not only that, but now, everything would go back to normal. She'd go to a normal school, have normal friends, and live a normal life. If people asked why her fingers were always clad in cotton, she'd simply say she was germaphobic.

And besides, Marinette was in London. Far _, far_ away from Paris. Chloe sighed contentedly, before someone suddenly stepped on her foot. Hissing in pain, she looked up at her blonde dance partner, expecting an apology.

But she didn't get one. Adrien's emerald green eyes were glued to the entrance.

Even though she was wearing heels, Chloe couldn't follow his line of sight, as the view was blocked by other dancers.

The girl looked back at her partner.

"Adrien, come on!" she whined, tugging on his coat sleeve.

Adrien paid her no attention. His cheeks and ears had gone an adorable shade of red. "Not now, Chloe," he murmured softly.

Chloe's eyes bulged out of their sockets. What on earth was he staring at? _Who_ was he staring at?!

 _Nobody_ had the right to be more attractive than her! It was _her_ ball!

 _Nodbody_ had the right to take Adrien's eyes off of her!

He hadn't looked at _Chloe_ like that!

Gritting her teeth, Chloe stomped her way over to the entrance, shoving away any guests who stood in her way.

Making her way to the front of the crowd, Chloe stopped short as soon as she saw _her_.

This guest wore a beautiful, punch colored dress, that screamed elegance. The illusion bodice hugged her petite figure, and the bottom of the glittery layered skirt flared out, like the reminding Chloe of every Disney princesses dress _ever_.

Her dark blue hair was stylishly pulled back into a braided bun, and long dark lashes and well-done eye makeup brought out her beautiful bluebell eyes.

It was Marinette.

 **Dun Dun DUUUUUUUUN!**

 **Lol, I have been waiting for this scene for so long…. XD**

 **Don't worry, I don't ship Chladrien, and I never will. Marinette and Adrien were meant to be together, and I won't let Chloe's fantasies get in the way of that.**

 **(Spoiler alert)**

 **-Ash**


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**_

 _ **Hey peeps!**_

 _ **First of all, I'd like to give a shoutout to "Cherry", for her amazing words of encouragement! I will definitely follow on some of your requests!**_

 _ **And now, on with the chapter!**_

Chloe never asked to be cursed. She had never done anything to deserve her rotten fate.

Every day, Chloe would wonder, 'Why me? What did I do to deserve this?'

Finally, she had decided that it wasn't her fault. None of this was. It was that traitor, Marinette. _Everything_ was _her fault!_

For some reason, it's a lot easier to blame all your problems on one person, than to blame yourself.

For Chloe, Marinette was that person.

And as Marinette approached Chloe with a huge smile on her face, Chloe didn't know whether to laugh, or cry at how unlucky she was.

Settling on a fake smile, the blonde stood her ground as Marinette squealed excitedly, and embraced her.

 _This is just Lila all over again,_ she thought, bitterly.

Finally pulling away, the bluenette noticed Chloe's strained smile, and took a step back.

Chloe glanced at Marinette's dress again. "You look beautiful," she said, trying not to sound begrudging.

Marinette immediately blushed. "Thank you! You look beautiful-er!" and after realizing what she said, "I mean not fuller, but more- uh- more beautiful!"

Chloe couldn't help but smile softly at Marinette's rambling, and beetroot-red face.

She _was_ , responsible for the accident or not, still _Marinette._ Adorable, shy, and clumsy Marinette. Who could stay mad at her for long?

After thanking her, Chloe turned away, and looked around. "So," she mused aloud, "This is what a party looks like."

The aspiring designer tilted her head. "What's that smell?" she pondered.

Both girls sniffed the air. "Chocolate!" They cried in unison, and giggled at their child-like love for the dessert.

Then, a ball of determination, a.k.a Alya, tackled Marinette as fiercely as she had tackled Chloe, and immediately started interrogating her, as to why she had gone, "M.I.A".

Soon, Nino and Adrien caught up with them, and the DJ gently pried Alya off of Marinette.

As content as she was, Chloe couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy at the fact that Adrien's gaze never once strayed from Marinette, and the raven-haired girl blushed every time he opened his mouth.

She was just about to say something, when someone cleared their throat behind her.

It was Kim, the very first guest she had greeted. Chloe had only known Kim for thirty minutes, and she could already tell how annoying he was. The mayor's daughter had, had a hard time socializing with other people, especially because Kim had stuck to her side like a leech.

Kim cleared his throat again, pulling Chloe back into the present. He offered her his hand. "Dance with me?" he asked, hopefully.

Chloe looked back at her friends for support, but Alya had already herded them back to the dance floor.

 _Some friends I have,_ Chloe thought bitterly, as she took Kim's hand.

Five horribly long minutes later, Chloe dragged her aching feet to the refreshment table. Kim hadn't stepped on her feet once. Not twice, and not even thrice.

Kim had stepped on her feet _four bloody times._

Why, _oh why,_ did it have to be an upbeat song? Chloe was glad she was wearing gloves, otherwise she would have deliberately frozen Kim's smug-self, and "accidently" toppled him onto the floor.

The blonde shook her head. If she thought such dark thoughts, who knows what would happen. Her powers could spiral out of control.

She poured herself a cup of room-temperature punch, ignoring the ice-cold pink lemonade besides it. She had way too much ice in her life, anyway.

"Chloe! Is that you, again? We _must_ stop meeting like this!" a haughty voice called out besides her, interrupting her thoughts. Was that an _Italian-lilted voice?_

"What do you want?" Chloe grumbled, not looking up from her punch.

She didn't need to look at Lila to know that the Italian was feigning a look of hurt. "Why Chloe," she cooed. "Don't talk to me like in that tone! We're friends, aren't we, _chica?_ "

The blonde resisted the urge to strangle Lila. "We. Are. Not Friends." She seethed, finally looking into cold, olive green eyes.

Before Lila could say anything, Chloe continued,

"Friends don't make each other cry. Friends don't humiliate each other in public. Friends don't abandon you," she paused, and thought of all the times Marinette, Alya, Nino, and Adrien sat outside her door, begging her to come out.

"Even when you've abandoned them." She finished, quietly, looking down into her drink again.

Lila was quiet for a second, but a smirk soon sidled onto her lips again.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that last part," she said, staring at something in the distance.

Chloe followed her line of sight, and gasped.

In the midst of the dancers, Adrien and Marinette were swaying softly together, and were _way_ too close for Chloe's comfort.

Not only that, but they seemed to be leaning in, closer and closer…

" _NOOOOOO!"_


	8. Chapter 8

_**I suggest you listen to Sick Boy, by the Chainsmokers, while reading this chapter.**_

 _ **You will not be punished for your anger.**_

 _ **You will be punished by your anger.**_

 _ **-Budha**_

Sometimes, anger is great.

There's nothing like screaming into a pillow, or writing your frustrations out on a letter, and then throwing it out.

It's like a drug. It consumes you, but only because you let it.

It feels nice sometimes.

Just the way it felt nice to push Marinette away from Adrien. _Her_ Adrien, and screaming "What are you doing?!", at her face.

People stared. Chloe didn't care. It was nothing out of the usual.

Marinette flushed a deep red, and looked down, meeting neither Chloe's nor Adrien's eyes.

"I… I don't know… I wasn't thinking…"

"That's the problem with you! You _never_ think!" Chloe was going red herself, hurling insult after insult at Marinette.

Tears prickled in the corners of Marinette's eyes, and she struggled to hold them in.

"You always ruin _everything_! I wish you were never born! I wish-"

Chloe's rants were forcibly stopped when a hand grabbed her shoulder, and yanked her a few steps back.

Adrien's hands were calm as they pushed the blonde away from Marinette, but the cold and furious gaze in his emerald eyes said otherwise.

"That's enough, Chloe," he said, quietly.

"You have no right to say any of that to anyone, _especially_ Marinette. She came all this way for _you_ , and _this_ is how you treat her? Disgusting."

The boy's words baffled Chloe. Slowly, she turned her head, looking at the crowd she had gathered.

Everyone looked appalled, with wide eyes, or hands covering their mouth in shock at this sudden outburst.

The humiliated girl refused to look at Adrien's green eyes once more, instead looking for a familiar blue.

Then she saw him.

Her father stood near the entrance, and his mouth was set in a grim line, as he stared at her in disappointment.

Chloe's breath hitched at his expression.

Her father, who had spent all those days cuddling her, despite her condition, and wasted all his tears on her, was looking at her, as if she was…

A monster.

Right next to him stood a certain Italian, who didn't seem surprised at all, and instead, smirked as Chloe's eyes met hers.

"I told you so," She mouthed.

Seeing her new foe's face triggered something in Chloe.

It wasn't anger. No, all of Chloe's had been spent.

She felt sad.

The mayor's daughter turned back to the raven-haired designer.

Marinette.

The one who started everything.

That one girl who your parents would always compare you too.

Sweet, perfect, Marinette.

Alya was next to her kneeling on the floor, hugging her friend protectively as she glared at Chloe.

She went unnoticed, however, by those cold, blue eyes, as they focused on the figure the journalist held.

Out of the corner of her eye, the Chloe saw Adrien tense up, probably afraid that she'd strike Marinette.

She didn't.

Instead, she calmly went over to the raven-haired girl, softly took her chin, and pushed it upwards, so Marinette met her eyes.

Alya tried to pull Marinette away from Chloe, but after the blonde stared at her, with those awful, penetrating eyes, she let go of Marinette, afraid for her own life.

The blonde looked back at the aspiring designer, and couldn't help but marvel at the scared expression her face displayed.

"Oh Marinette," she cooed, tucking a stray strand of bluish-black hair behind the girl's ear.

"Everyone thinks you're so pure… so innocent. But I know better."

Chloe's eyes flashed, and her voice got quieter as she continued, "You're not a good person, like you often pretend you are. You're just a spoiled _brat_ ; always trying to get what you want.

"You took Adrien away from me. He was the only thing I ever _really_ wanted… and you just-"

Chloe faltered. "You just took him. You barely even had to try. But then again, both know he's the real reason you came here. You didn't want to see me. I was just an accessory you kept by your side, just trying to attract attention for yourself."

Chloe chuckled darkly, digging her gloved fingers into Marinette's jaw. The designer winced, but Chloe's gaze only hardened.

"And my father. You took my father- the only person really seemed to care for me… You took him away from me. Now, thanks to you, he thinks I'm a monster." Chloe swallowed, forcing the tears to stay back, and squeezed the blackette's face even more forcibly, causing the girl to cry out in pain.

Chloe brought Marinette close to her face, until only their noses were touching.

" _I hate you"_ , she seethed, and hurled Marinette's face away from her.

Emotionally exhausted, Marinette winced, and sank into Nino's comforting arms.

Chloe took one more look at Adrien, who had rushed over towards Marinette, and had gently pried her away from Nino, cradling her now frail looking body in his arms.

Something in Chloe broke when she watched that scene.

It hurt her, knowing that it wasn't her that the boy held in his arms, and she wasn't the one he worried about the most. It hurt her, seeing the boy of her dreams look at someone else the way he was supposed to look at her.

She couldn't stay there any longer.

Just as she turned to leave, she felt a hand grab her wrist.

By instinct, Chloe yanked her hand back, only for her glove to unsheathe itself from her hand, and end up in someone else's.

It was Alya.

Chloe's eyes softened, as they saw her normally strong friend look so broken.

"Chloe, please, just tell us what happened. Tell us what we did wrong. We can help… We _will_ help," Alya said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Chloe looked at her nervously. Seeing her friend in such a heartbroken state made her heart ache, and she knew what happened when she felt something so strongly.

"G-Give me back my glove!" she cried, nervously, trying to swipe it out of Alya's grasp.

But the journalist was too quick, and placed it out of Chloe's reach.

"Chloe, please," she begged, "We can't live like this anymore!"

The blonde's mouth straightened into a line. "Then leave," she said, barely audible enough for Alya to hear.

A look of disbelief spread across the brunette's face as Chloe turned her backto her.

Her sadness turned to frustration.

"What did I ever do to you?" she yelled at Chloe's retreating figure.

"Enough, Alya," the blonde said, closing her eyes, and hugging her naked hand to her chest.

"No! Tell me, why would you shut me out? Why did you shut _the world_ out? _What are you so afraid of?"_ Alya ranted.

That did it. All the energy Chloe had been trying to store in, erupted, completely breaking any mental walls she had put up.

"I said, _enough!_ ", she roared, turning around.

Suddenly, a flurry of magic exploded from her outstretched hand, causing a blast of ice to burst out of it.

The world slowed down for Chloe, and she widened her eyes in shock and awe, watching the ball of ice to transform into large, spindly needles, pointed away from Chloe and towards the crowd.

It was as if her powers were trying to protect her.

Her awe was immediately forgotten when she heard Alya scream.

The girl was laying on the floor, and had probably fallen over due to the shock from the blast.

Adrien and Marinette were clinging to one another in astonishment, staring at Chloe with wide eyes.

A wave of paranoia washed over the blonde.

 _They knew._ _They knew. The secret was out._

"Sorcery! It's sorcery!" someone cried out.

"She _is_ a monster!"

"Grab her before she does us even more harm!"

Unable to think properly, Chloe looked at her father. His expression mirrored her own.

"Run," he mouthed.

That was all the encouragement Chloe needed to burst out of the ballroom doors.

 _ **A/N:**_

 _ **Hey guys!**_

 _ **Sorry for the late chapter. My life has been a total mess, but I've finally figured out a posting pattern. I am going to publish a chapter every Sunday (guaranteed). If I can, I'll try to post on Saturdays too, but that may be slightly difficult.**_

 _ **Eh.**_

 _ **I'll give it a shot, what have I got to lose?**_

 _ **See you guys next time!**_

 _ **-Ash**_ __


	9. Chapter 9

_**(A/N: I suggest you listen to the song "We are going to be friends" by the White Stripes, watch?v=h1kYF9nyNAM while reading this chapter)**_

" _ **No matter how much we try not to,**_

 _ **We will always hurt the ones we love."**_

 _ **-Unknown**_

There were a lot of things Marinette had missed about Chloe.

She missed playing dress-up with her, and flouncing around in poufy dresses that were way too big. The dresses would often be ruined in the tea parties that followed, but they were kids. They didn't care.

She missed sneaking into Chloe's parent's room with the blonde, and smearing makeup onto their tiny faces. They would always be in trouble afterwards, but it was always worth it.

She missed playing hopscotch with Chloe, even if it meant having to wait a while for her turn, as Chloe would always insist on having another go.

The raven haired girl couldn't help but smile, remembering how Chloe had defended her against mean seventh graders, and laughing her boisterous laugh when they had run away, realizing whose daughter she was.

It's actually pretty surprising, how much the passage of time can sharpen your memory.

There was just something about the mayor's daughter that had drawn Marinette in when they were kids.

The aspiring designer remembered the day they became friends as if it were only yesterday.

 _Marinette frowned._

 _She didn't like bees. Why couldn't her teacher have given her a better animal to color in? A butterfly, maybe? Even a ladybug would suffice._

 _Bees were just too… angry. Even if the bumblebee on her coloring-sheet had a happy expression, it just didn't seem right._

 _She looked at her deskmate, who was happily coloring a giraffe with a blue crayon._

 _The six year old raised her tiny hand._

" _Umm.. Madame Bustier…?" she called out, uncertainly._

 _The adult looked up from her planner._

" _Yes, Marinette?" She asked, gazing at the chubby child, with kind eyes._

" _Er… is there any other animal I could color?" Marinette asked, glancing down at her coloring sheet forlornly._

 _Miss Bustier got up from her seat, and went over to the girl's table._

 _Kneeling down, she looked at the happy-go-lucky bumble bee, and then back at Marinette._

" _Don't you like honey bees?" she asked._

 _Marinette shook her head. "They're too mean," she said. "My older cousin Bridgette got stung by one, once. She wouldn't stop crying, even though she's really big."_

 _Seeing the teacher's blank expression, Marinette quickly added, "She's already nine."_

 _Miss Bustier sighed tiredly, and rubbed her temples. Children's questions were always so hard to answer._

" _But this bumble bee won't hurt you," she tried to convince the child. "He's only a picture, and he'll get sad if you don't color him. You don't want to make him sad, do you?"_

 _Marinette pouted. The teacher had hit her weakness. She hated making people sad._

" _I guess it is only a picture," she said, reluctantly picking up a yellow crayon._

 _Miss Bustier smiled at her, showing off her pearly whites. "Good girl," she cooed, patting Marinette on the head, and walking back to her large desk._

 _Marinette rolled the crayon around in her fingers._

 _She_ really, really _didn't want to color the bee, but she also didn't want to make the bee sad._

 _Just then, she felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned around, and looked at the girl behind her._

 _She had long blonde curls, that reminded Marinette of Cinderella, and was looking at her with questioning gray-green eyes._

 _In her hands, she held a coloring sheet, with an untouched ladybug on it._

" _I don't like ladybugs," She confessed, holding out her paper. "Wanna trade?"_

 _Marinette's face lit up with a smile. "I'd love too!" she said, taking the coloring sheet, and giving the girl her own._

 _The girl gave Marinette a smile back, and stuck out a hand for Marinette to shake._

" _It's Chloe. Chloe Bourgeois." She said, her formal actions surprising Marinette a little._

 _Marinette shook Chloe's hand. "Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng" she replied._

 _The two ate lunch together that day. Chloe was immediately won over by Marinette's bright smile, friendly attitude, and extensive knowledge of multiple games they could play._

 _Oh, and the delicious food she brought in helped. Marinette, who had seen Chloe's awestruck gawk at the multiple pastries and cookies in her paper bag, chuckled, and pushed two pastries in her direction._

" _Eat up." She commanded. "You look like you've never seen anything sugary in your life. Besides, I brought extra to share."_

 _Chloe shot Marinette a grateful look, before tucking into the delicious sweets. She told Marinette that her mother didn't like her eating sweets, and said that they made her fat._

 _Hearing that, Marinette almost choked on her cheese and spinach sandwich, and made up her mind to bring in extra pastries every day, and spoil Chloe with sweets._

 _After lunch, the children had to return to their homerooms. Chloe had to go to the bathroom, so Marinette walked back all by herself._

 _She immediately went over to the blocks, where two other kids were already working hard at making towers._

' _I'll make the biggest tower EVER, and surprise Chloe with it,' she decided. Maybe they could even climb to the top. Miss Bustier was nice. Maybe she'd let them break a bit of the roof so they could continue building it… maybe they'd reach the moon!_

 _Pililng block over block, Marinette grew excited as her imagination flew away with her. She reached behind her for another block, only to find none._

 _The little boy next to her must've accidently taken it._

 _Shrugging it off, Marinette tried to take one of the blocks near him, only to have him smack her hand._

 _Yelping, the raven-haired girl drew her hand back, clutching it with her other hand._

 _Tears welled up in her eyes, and her bottom lip stuck out._

" _What was that for?" she said, furiously wiping her tears away with her fist. "That hurt!"_

 _The boy frowned at her. "You deserved it." He said, standing up. "Nobody takes MY blocks like that."_

" _But you took one of mine!" Marinette hiccupped._

 _The boy rolled his eyes. "You're such a crybaby," he complained, deliberately knocking over Marinette's tower._

 _Tears streamed down Marinette's cheeks, and she didn't bother wiping them. Her hard work was all gone! They'd never go to the moon now!_

 _Marinette frantically bent on her knees, and tried to reassemble the tower._

 _The boy snickered, and was about to return to his own tower when someone 'ahem-ed'_

 _Both Marinette and the boy looked up, to see a furious Chloe, staring at the boy as if she was restraining herself from strangling him._

" _Er.. can I help you?" he said, nervously staring at the fuming girl in front of him._

" _You're gonna pay!" the blonde growled, her eyes turning to slits._

 _The boy looked afraid, but tried to play it off. "For what?"_

 _Chloe pointed at Marinette. "For making my friend cry!"_

 _Marinette sniffed, but felt touched all the same. No one had ever called her their friend before._

 _The boy held his hands up in surrender. "She started it," he said. Then with a sneer, he added, "And what're YOU gonna do about it anyway?"_

 _Marinette grew pale, thinking that Chloe would hit the boy._

 _She didn't._

 _Instead, she smirked, and examined her tiny fingernails._

" _Simple," she stated, "I'll get my dog Spike, to eat you. And he's really big, so he will do it if I tell him to."_

 _The truth is, she didn't have a dog named spike. Or even a dog. But he didn't know that._

 _The boy scoffed, but fear was evident on his features. "You can't do that! You'd go to jail for it!"_

 _Chloe shook her head._

" _No I won't. I'll tell the police that I only told my dog to do it because you were bullying my friend, and THAT is a crime punishable by jailtime."_

 _Marinette had no idea what Chloe was saying, (how did Chloe know so many big words?), but the boy seemed to, and cowered in fear._

" _Fine, fine!" he said. "I'll leave her alone!"_

 _Chloe shook her head again. "I'll only let you go if you give her," she pointed at Marinette, "All your blocks."_

 _The boy's eyes bulged._

" _ALL of them?!"_

 _Chloe nodded. "Each and every single one."_

 _After a few minutes of contemplation, the boy seemed to realize that his life was more precious than some blocks, and reluctantly pushed them towards Marinette._

" _Just take them," he said, bitterly. "I wanted to color instead, anyway."_

 _And he trudged off, probably going to bully some other defenseless kid._

 _Chloe watched him leave the building blocks corner, and turned back to Marinette, who was staring at her with awe._

" _Are you my guardian angel?" Marinette asked, her eyes wide._

 _Chloe thought about it, then nodded._

 _Then, she did something unexpected._

 _She walked over to the tower Marinette had tried reassembling._

 _And she knocked it over._

 _Fresh tears welled up in Marinette's eyes again._

" _Why would you do that?" she cried, swiping at her eyes._

 _Chloe smiled, and affectionately ruffled the shorter girl's hair. "You're my friend, so I'm the only one who's allowed to tease you." She stated, before pulling Marinette in a hug._

 _The raven haired girl hiccupped once more, but stopped crying. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I owe you one."_

" _You do," Chloe agreed, pulling away from the embrace._

 _She dug inside the pockets of her dress, and pulled out a wrinkled tissue, and handing it to Marinette, who gratefully accepted it, and blew her nose._

" _Since I helped you when you were in trouble, you're gonna have to help me when I'm in trouble. Okay?"_

 _Marinette nodded, and the sight of the tissue covering her face made Chloe giggle._

" _I promise."_

Marinette had broken her promise.

She wasn't there, when she could've been. She wasn't there, when her best friend needed her.

Chloe was hurting, and Marinette had done nothing to help.

Currently, she was at home, aimlessly staring out of the window, hoping that she'd see Chloe somewhere.

It was past twelve at night, but unlike her parents downstairs, she couldn't sleep.

After the ice fiasco, everyone had been evacuated from the ballroom. The mayor had been taken into custody by the police, and after being interrogated, Marinette had been taken home.

Forcefully.

She had struggled against the policemen's controlling arms, repeating that she needed to help Chloe, and she needed to be there for her.

The policemen had diagnosed it as shock. The reporters called it trauma. The media said she was insane for wanting to go back to Chloe.

Maybe they were right. But one thing was for sure. She wasn't going to stay out of the way while Chloe suffered. Not again, anyway.

She picked up her phone, and dialed a number that she hadn't dialed for over three years.

"Hello?"

"Adrien, it's me. I need your help."

 _ **And BAM!**_

 _ **This is most probably my most favourite chapter out of the lot, so good job, me. (pats self on back)**_

 _ **I won't be updating tomorrow, because of all the work I have to do. I swear, I will update as soon as possible. Saturdays are confirmed, and I'll try my best to update before then.**_

 _ **Love,**_

 _ **Ash :-)**_


	10. Chapter 10

Pain.

That was the first thing Chloe felt, even before she opened her eyes.

Her head throbbed painfully, and she could feel boiling blood coursing through her veins.

Her eyes adjusted to the light above her head, which was spreading white rays of light everywhere.

Ugh. White. Why did it have to be that color? It was so cold, and so unwelcoming.

The blonde sat up, only to gasp in surprise, as a wave of dizziness rushed through her.

She held a hand to her forehead and winced, but looked at her surroundings all the same.

Everything in the tiny room she was in seemed to be made of bamboo, or had some other chinese element to it, from the sliding doors, to the bamboo-woven mat.

Where was she?

Why did everything hurt so much?

"Pain demands to be felt." A soft voice suddenly spoke.

Chloe's head snapped up, and her icy blue eyes met calm brown ones.

They belonged to an elderly man, who was sitting in a corner of the room, holding a book in one hand, and a cup of tea in the other.

He was wearing a red Hawaiian tee, and sandals, adding to his wise, elderly outlook, and giving him a humorous touch.

He looked familiar.

The man tilted his head. "It's true, isn't it?"

He returned his gaze to the book, and held it up for the blonde to see. "It's a quote in this book. Have you read it? It's called, 'The Fault in Our Stars', by John Green. I wouldn't recommend it. It's extremely depressing. Everybody dies in the end."

He shuddered suddenly, before placing the book onto a bamboo-wood table besides him, where a teapot and a seemingly- empty cup lay waiting.

"Who-"

Chloe's voice came out raspy, and speaking seemed to hurt her throat.

She held a hand to her neck, trying not to wince, and keeping her eyes on the man the whole time.

He nodded sympathetically, and stood up.

"I will answer all your questions later," He said, picking up the teapot, and pouring its contents into the teacup.

Then, placing the cup on a saucer, he walked over to Chloe.

"But first, tea."

He smiled, and handed her the saucer.

Chloe regarded him suspiciously, before hesitantly taking the saucer, and nodding her thanks.

She looked down at the tea, which was an unusual shade of pale pink.

Not stopping to think about whether the drink was poisoned or not, she sipped it, relishing in its sweet and pure taste.

Whatever it was, it was like pure magic, running down her throat, and healing its itchy, scratchy state.

Before she knew it, she had drowned the whole cup, and was looking forlornly into its remains.

The man, who had watched Chloe finish the whole cup, smiled to see her expression, and the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement.

"Hold on, I'll refill it for you." He said, gently prying the cup from her hands.

Chloe watched him as he walked towards the teapot, and started refilling her cup again.

"Who are you?" She asked, much smoother this time.

The man looked back at her, eyebrows widening in surprise.

"You don't remember me?"

Chloe stared at him. She knew that he was familiar… but how?

Suddenly, something in her head clicked.

"Master Fang!" she exclaimed.

Of course! How could she forget? This was the man who her father had taken her to first, to ask his advice, as he was the only person in Paris who was rumored to have experience with magic.

The chinese man chuckled. "It's master Fu." He said, handing her the refilled teacup. "But close enough."

Chloe thoughtfully, took a sip of her tea.

"Did you bring me here?"

Fu nodded. "When I found you, you were passed out in an alleyway, hidden amongst some boxes. Your dress made it easy to spot you."

Chloe looked down at her clothes, having completely forgotten about them for the time being. She wasn't in her dress anymore, but rather, in a loose chinese-style shirt, with black cotton pyjama pants.

She dreaded knowing who had changed her clothes.

"Do you remember anything from yesterday?"

His voice shook her out of her thoughts.

Chloe nodded. She remembered the previous day's outcomes as if it had happened just then.

She had remembered running out of the hotel, clutching the folds of her dress, in order to not trip.

She didn't know where she was running, exactly. She had panicked when she heard the police sirens behind her.

She ran through streets and alleys to confuse them, and as soon as she was sure she had lost them, she slumped against the nearest wall, just as she fell unconscious.

She didn't regret saying what she said. Marinette had deserved it. What Chloe did regret, however, was losing control.

Trying to change the subject, she nodded towards the cup. "Is that some kind of potion?"

If Master Fu had suspected, Chloe was trying to change the topic, he didn't voice his thoughts. Instead, he smiled, and shook his head at her silly question.

"No, child." He said. "That is Kashmiri Chai, a popular kind of tea in Southern Asia. It has many benefits, so be sure to drink plenty, as you'll be needing all the luck you can get for your journey."

Chloe's eye twitched.

"What journey?"

Master Fu didn't seem fazed at her rude tone. Instead, he calmly replied, "Why, your journey to the spirit world, of course. What else?"

He shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Chloe blanched. "What spirit world? And why would I need to go there?"

Fu smiled, tiredly. "All things in good time, my child." He said, holding up his palms.

"Now, rest. I'll send you on your way tomorrow."

And with that, he left the room, leaving Chloe to ponder on the mess that was her life.

 _ **A:N:**_

 _ **I know, this is a pretty sucky chapter, but bear with me. I have waaay too much homework than should be allowed. I will definitely post a better chapter after a few days, and I only posted this one because I forgot I had promised y'all chapters on Saturdays.**_

 _ **Sooo… yeah.**_

 _ **I swear, I will make it up to you all.**_


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Listen to "Say Something" while reading this chappy.**

In a small marketplace, not so far from the Eiffel tower, a certain blonde stood by himself, hands in his pockets staring at his shoes. Immersed in his thoughts, the green-eyed boy furrowed his brows, and mumbled incoherent words.

The people bustling past him mostly ignored him, but a few sent him wary glances. What had happened the previous night was no secret, and rumors and conspiracies had already started spreading.

However, gossips were the least of Adrien's worries, at the moment.

He feared for the future. Not just his, but for Chloe's too.

He wasn't blind. He knew that Chloe's actions were merely done out of jealousy.

Or at least, that was what he was told.

After the girl's outburst, when the police had swamped the area, a scrawny, red haired girl had pulled Adrien aside.

Introducing herself as Sabrina, Chloe's handmaid, and the only person close to Chloe's age who knew about her condition, the girl had explained the blonde's obsession rather than crush on him.

Adrien had immediately felt guilty, recalling the way he had ignored the mayor's daughter, and had focused solely on a certain ravenette. Not that it was _really_ his fault. Marinette had looked too stunning to not gawk at.

The problem wasn't that she didn't return his affection. He knew she did.

She had told him that, before leaving for England. But she had also told him why an "Adrienette" as Alya had shipped them, could never happen. She had told him that there was someone out there who needed him more than she did.

Adrien now understood who.

Sabrina had told him about all that time Chloe had spent on her phone, admiring one of his pictures, and daydreaming about what their future children would be named.

She had been nothing but scared for what was yet to come, and the only thing she was ever a hundred percent sure about… was being with him.

The green-eyed boy now understood a lot of things. He understood that he had to sacrifice Marinette for Chloe, simply because Chloe needed someone; a man to lean against, who's brave smile never wavered, and who was perfect in every way.

But Adrien wasn't a man. He was an imperfect, scared boy, who to listen to, and who to ignore.

Couldn't he just do what _he_ wanted, for once?

All his life, he'd been told what to do. He'd been told what clothes to wear, what profession to pursue, and, hell, if his father had the power, he would've chosen Adrien's friends for him.

It wasn't fair.

Most people don't ever find that person in life, who understands them completely.

Adrien, however, had.

Marinette knew almost everything about him. That included things that nobody else knew.

His insecurities, for one thing.

As the years went on, Adrien's photographer had found more unattractive angles, and more reasons to photoshop the output photos.

His makeup artists had started to take extra time doing his face and hair, as fifteen minutes were no longer enough. His nutritionist had cut down his diet even further, and he started getting more calls for advertisements, which were usually filmed late at night, mostly due to Adrien's increasing homework, and modeling responsibilities.

Gradually, all this took a toll on Adrien's head.

Nino was the first one to notice his friend's changing behavior.

At first, he had dismissed the thought immediately. It was Adrien. There was no way that anything would be going on that the model wouldn't tell him.

But as time went on, Nino was certain that something was wrong.

Staying awake during lectures was visibly harder for the blonde, and the rings under his eyes darkened. He would always be tired, and his appetite decreased.

In the boy's locker room, at school, Nino had noticed that whenever Adrien looked in the mirror, it would be an expression of loathing, and sometimes anger, directed at himself.

He would be caught staring at his stomach, or checking himself out in the bathroom mirror way too much

Even if a mere pencil fell to the ground, Adrien would jump, or subtly grab Nino's hand in fear.

The DJ's first thought was domestic violence. Maybe Adrien's father had started taking his anger out on his son, or maybe one of his tutors started using a cane.

Worried, he expressed his concerns to his girlfriend, who immediately took action.

First, Alya sought out Adrien. When the flustered boy immediately denied being abused, and claimed that he didn't feel different in any way, Alya tracked down Nathalie, who herself was suspicious of Adrien's change in behavior.

The green-eyed boy was taken twice a week to a therapist, until he was finally diagnosed with anxiety, mild depression, and possible anorexia.

The therapist urged Adrien's father to stop putting so much pressure on the boy, but the cold-hearted man refused, thinking that all teenagers went through this phase during high-school.

Alya and Nino were enraged, but they had run out of ideas to help their friend.

Finally, the DJ called up Marinette.

The ravenette was shocked to hear the news. "I've been gone six months, and he's already lost it", she had raved.

Truthfully, she wasn't really angry at Adrien for feeling the way he felt. She was angry at herself for leaving, at a time when it seemed her friends had needed her most.

She started calling the model every night, at around seven pm, when it was approximately 8 pm in Paris. Some nights, when he didn't have much time, they would only talk for ten minutes.

They didn't just talk about his problems, which is probably why Adrien enjoyed these calls so much. They talked about everyday things; the weather, cruel professors, and new movies.

But when they _did_ talk about him, she would always listen patiently, never once interrupting as he ranted on, often using colorful language. Sometimes, he even broke out in tears, and spluttered blubbery nonsense. But despite it all, she listened, never once judging him, or telling him to cut it out.

One time, when Adrien's raging on about himself, and how much of a disappointment he was, had reduced him to tears, Marinette had paused for a few minutes, let him cry a little, and then said, "I'm not going to tell you that it's going to be okay, because honestly, I don't know if it will be. It might keep getting worse, or it could stay the way it is forever.

"But you know what? You can make it better. I can't, Nino can't, and even your father can't. Only you can stop yourself from feeling whatever it is that you're feeling.

"I know that you hate your body for not being perfect, or the way your father wants it to be. But in this life, it's what you've been given, so sooner or later, you're gonna have to learn to love it. That's a lot better than hating it."

"But why should I? It's never done anything for me. And I have to work hard all day to showcase it" Adrien croaked.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. At first, Adrien thought Marinette agreed with him, but she finally responded, in a gentle voice, "It's doing things for you, every second of every day, Adrien. Look at your hands. They have wiped away every single one of your tears, when nobody else was there to do it for you.

"Look at your feet. Whenever you fell, they pushed you back up, until you stood tall again, and they help you walk on from the past.

"Go to the mirror, and look at your eyes. They have shown you the most beautiful and amazing things… things you couldn't even have imagined, if you didn't have them."

Adrien was awestruck. He'd never thought that way before. He felt guilty. It was true. His body was already working perfectly. It was his mind that made it seem otherwise. There were so many people in the world that had the right to complain about their malfunctioning body parts, but they didn't, because they chose to love themselves instead.

"And besides," Marinette's voice continued softly. "A lot of people who really matter, love you. They don't care, if not every angle of yours is magazine-worthy. They don't care, whether you're fat, or skinny, or ugly, or attractive. They love you for your personality, not the amount of money you make. Maybe you should too.

"After all, I do, so you definitely have a reason to, yourself," the aspiring designer continued, in a cocky tone.

Adrien found it in himself to chuckle lightly, and to roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Love you too."

"Of course you do. Everyone does."

Although Marinette's tone was teasing, Adrien could sense her pain.

After that day, Adrien's mental health improved quite a bit. His therapist, who had advised him on speaking to a loved one about his problems in the first place, was immensely pleased, and said that his condition wouldn't last for much longer.

But after a while, both teens, designer's son, and aspiring designer, drifted apart. It wasn't really their fault. The pressure of schoolwork had increased, inversely causing the number of their calls to decrease, until they barely spoke at all.

However, thinking about what Marinette had said that day, made tears well up in Adrien's eyes. He snuggled his nose into his scarf, seeking warmth from the cold weather, wishing he could do the same for the cold thoughts making their way into his mind.

By now, most of the pedestrians were long gone, rushing towards what was the promising warmth, and shelter of their homes.

One passing child regarded the model curiously, and lightly tugged at her mother's hand. "What's wrong with him, Maman?"

The auburn-haired mother glanced back at Adrien, and her eyes softened, seeing as Adrien's expression had changed into a miserable one; his eyes watered, and his fists were clenched, as if he feared that unclenching them would result in the tears he dreaded.

The woman paused, and bent down to her daughter's ear. "Things probably aren't going his way. Maybe the cold is getting to his heart."

The pigtailed child looked even more confused, and peeked back at Adrien. "So then, why doesn't he thaw it? His heart, I mean." She glanced back at her mother. "That's what you did to my tongue when it got stuck to that pole, yesterday."

The mother bit back a smile at the image of her seven year old, wailing loudly, and flailing her arms about, with her tongue glued to a lamp post outside her home.

She looked back at the model.

"I don't think he remembers how to, Manon."

She stood up from her crouched position, and walked over to a bunch of daisies, sticking out of the frosty grass. Carefully examining her choices, she finally decided on the tallest one.

After plucking it, and blowing away any small insects crawling over it, the woman handed the flower to her child.

Manon blinked at her mother, before taking the flower, and making her way to Adrien.

The bunny toothed child looked back at her mother, seeking support, which she got in the form of a thumbs up, and a big smile.

Shyly, she tugged on Adrien's coat.

The blonde looked down. Through his blurry vision, he could make out the figure of a small child.

Wiping his eyes with his gloved fingers, he stared down at Manon, who held out the flower.

"It's not warm water, but it should help…" she mumbled, trying not to smile shyly.

Adrien blinked.

 _Warm water? What did that have to do with anything?_

The child seemed to grow unsure, and waved the blossom at him.

"Don't you want it?"

Hearing Manon's hesitant tone made Adrien want to square his shoulders in embarrassment. The poor kid was obviously just trying to help him, and he was only making things awkward.

Adrien fumbled to his knees, and took the blossom.

" _Merci"_ , He mumbled, eyes downwards.

He wanted to look her in the eyes, but he was afraid of losing control of his built-up emotions, and facing the embarrassing after effects.

Then, Manon hugged him.

At first, Adrien stiffened up, and squared his shoulders; a habit of surprise.

Even Manon's mother, keeping a watchful eye on her daughter, winced slightly.

No matter how many times she had told her daughter to be kind to strangers, she had instructed her an equal number of times to avoid _touching_ people she didn't know.

Paris was a beautiful city, filled with kind, and generous people. However, that didn't mean it was peaceful. As a news reporter, Mrs. Schamak had had to interview many assault victims in the past, which only added anxiety into the mind of the single parent.

The mother bit her bottom lip, staining her pearly teeth with ruby lipstick.

Hundreds of scenarios flashed through her imagination.

What if this blonde stranger suddenly grabbed Manon by the waist, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and made a run for it?

What if he touched her in a place he shouldn't?

Would her seven year old ever survive the trauma?

What if she grew to be depressed, all because of this one encounter?

The reporter had already lost her husband due to such violence… there was no way she could bear losing her only daughter too.

Mrs. Schamak had imagined a lot of things, but what Adrien did, was not one of them.

The reporter watched as the blonde boy broke down completely, in the arms of her seven year old.

Each strangled sob he let out made the woman's heart squeeze painfully.

He looked too young to be dealing with the harsh realities of life.

He _was_ too young (she immediately recognized the model, as his scarf slid below his chin, revealing the face of the young celebrity whom the reporter knew all too well) to grasp how ugly life could be, and how much it could weigh you down.

Adrien's arms were by his side, but his head was nestled in the small crook of the child's neck, so Manon was sure she wasn't doing anything wrong.

She patted his back repeatedly, soothing him with small hums, or words of encouragement, until Adrien pulled himself together, and lifted his head.

Mrs. Schamak took this as a signal to come forward, and place her hand on her child's shoulder.

" _La vie… C'est une chatte, non?"_ She spoke in french, hoping Manon wouldn't understand what she was saying. **(A/N: Only French people will understand this curse, don't bother looking it up XD)**

Adrien looked up at the red haired woman with puffy, rimmed eyes, and managed a weak smile and a nod.

"You'll get through it, eventually." She continued, glancing at her child, before looking up at the model again. "One day, you'll think back to these days, and you'll smile, remembering that you got through them."

And then, both mother and daughter walked away, offering nothing more than encouraging waves and occasional glances, as they strode out of that small marketplace, not so far from the Eiffel tower.

Meanwhile, a certain ravenette stood in the shadows that a small _bibliotheque_ provided, regarding this whole encounter carefully.

When the parent and her child had left, the pigtailed teen tiptoed across the snowy road towards Adrien, who was sitting on his knees, looking in the direction from which Manon and her mother left.

Marinette hesitated, before tapping her friend's shoulder.

When her bluebell eyes met emerald green, she smiled softly, and tilted her head.

" _On y va?"_

Adrien nodded numbly.

" _On y va."_ He spoke in a hoarse voice, before hauling himself up onto his feet.

He pulled up the corners of his mouth into a weak smile.

Marinette noticed his tired expression, and squeezed her friend's shoulder.

"We'll get her back." She promised.

The blonde male chewed the inside of his cheek.

"I hope so." He said, casting his eyes downwards.

Suddenly, a loud baying sounded, making both our beloved characters jump.

Adrien chuckled, looking in the direction of the sound.

"Plagg must be getting impatient." He said, taking note of the two bags that Marinette held in each hand. "You ready to go?"

Marinette's eyes had that determined glint in them that Adrien adored. "I'm more than ready," she said, and together, she and Adrien made their way over to the fidgeting reindeer, ready to get their friend back, and fully prepared to take on any obstacles that fate dared to throw their way.

 _ **A/N: Hey guys! I am sooo sorry for abandoning you amazing people like that, but I've been so busy with my exams, and certain family business that haven't had time to even THINK of this fic. I promise I will update more often (once a week? Probably every Sunday. Maybe even twice a week, if writer's block doesn't hit.)**_

 _ **I'd like to thank you guys for all the sweet PMs and the patience, I really appreciate it, and I won't let you all down again.**_

 _ **Until Sunday,**_

 _ **XOXO –Ash**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: *sighs* I should stop making promises I won't keep.**_

" _Hi! You've reached Marinette's cell! Sorry I can't talk right now, so be sure to leave a message after the beep!"_

Groaning in frustration, Alya was on the verge of throwing her phone against the wall. But she'd never _really_ do it, no matter how many times the screen froze, or a video took too much time loading.

No, she loved her phone too much to abuse it. Nino, on the other hand…

" _Nino,"_ she whined, draping herself onto her boyfriend's bed.

She looked up at the ceiling, clutching a pillow to her chest, and eyed the fan moving in lazy circles.

"Neither of them will answer my calls. First, the incident with Chloe, and then, almost two days later, Marinette's missing." The bespectacled girl glanced at Nino. "Don't you think it's weird, Nino?"

The teen in question didn't reply, completely absorbed in his laptop, and tapping his feet according to the beats his headphones provided.

Alya raised her head slightly, and glared at tanned boy.

"Honestly," she muttered, before chucking a pillow in his direction.

The pillow sailed past his ear, ramming into his laptop instead, and slamming it shut.

Nino cried out in alarm, pushing his headphones down around his neck, and hugging his precious device to his chest.

"Alya!" he cried, rocking to and fro.

He grabbed the pillow, which was lying next to his desk, and chucked it at the girl, who was now sitting cross legged on the bed, looking up at him with a thoughtful expression.

Alya caught the pillow, and once again hugged it to her chest.

"There _is_ a possibility that Marinette went after Chloe. But she would never do anything like that alone…" she trailed off.

The bespectacled girl's head snapped up.

"Nino," she began slowly, "When was the last time you saw Adrien?"

The aspiring producer shrugged.

"At the party."

"Has he responded to any of your texts or calls since then?"

Nino's eyebrows knit together.

"Well, no. But I guess the guy needs his space, especially after what happened."

Alya shook her head.

"Marinette and Adrien have gone to look for Chloe," she said. "I'm sure of it."

Nino looked unimpressed. "So what do suggest we do about it?"

His _compagne_ smiled, sheepishly. "We go after them."

"No."

Alya whined. "Why not?"

"It's too dangerous," was his stern reply. "You've seen what Chloe's capable of. Besides, as much as I love her, Mari can be a clumsy idiot who acts before thinking."

"And Adrien already has way too many problems of his own to worry about Chloe's," she added, quickly.

The journalist got up from the bed, and wrapped her arms around the boy.

Resting her head on his shoulder, she spoke softly into his ear.

"They _need_ us. They're our friends, Nino." Alya let herself sag into her boyfriend, now completely seated in his lap. "Even Chloe, I guess."

When Nino hesitated, she pressed further.

"Adrien would do the same for you, and you know that."

Finally, Nino persisted, slumping his shoulders in defeat. " _Fine."_ He drawled. "I'll hit Ivan's supply store."

"YES!" Alya screeched in joy, squeezing the DJ tightly.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek, and Nino couldn't help but turn one corner of his mouth upwards into a shy smile.

"I love you!" Alya chirped, peeling herself off of him.

"Oh Alya," Nino sighed dramatically, "If only there was someone out there who loved you."

A loud _SMACK_ resonated through the neighborhood.

The pained yell that followed it, possibly sounded throughout the city.

 **A/N: After this chapter, the story** _ **really**_ **starts. No more perspectives, no more back stories, and no more wait.**


End file.
